Setup condition recorder for a color scanner

ABSTRACT

A setup condition recorder for a color scanner for reproducing a reproduction picture, wherein an original picture to be reproduced, secured to a picture mount means, is scanned by a pickup head to obtain a picture signal, and wherein an operational unit determines setup conditions for the color scanner from the picture signal, and the setup conditions are recorded on a recording medium by a recording unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a setup condition recorder for a color scanner.

When color separation printing films or plates are produced, an operator sets up conditions such as density range, gradation, color correction, under color removal, sharpness emphasis, and so forth, for a color scanner depending on an original picture and specifications attached thereto for specific portions such as a highlight point, a shadow point, a point whose color is to be corrected, of the original picture so that a picture reproduction may satisfy the demands.

In order to carry this out, various methods have been attempted. For example, in the first method, the brightness and the color of the specific portions are adjusted while the output values of the optical system and the operational circuit in the color scanner are observed.

However, in this method, since the color scanner Posseses a high resolving power and the original picture involves minute unevenness in the specific portions, a little slippage off a check point results in a large change of the output value, and hence the output value does not represent the specific portion, or when the same portion is checked again, the same output value is not obtained, which is not reliable and not stable.

In the second method, the densities of the specific portions are measured by a densitometer, or the like, and a neutral-density filter, certain values of gray and color scales, and so forth, are selected depending on the densities measured. Then, according to these conditions selected or adjusting amounts calculated therefrom the basic setup of the color scanner is carried out.

In this embodiment, when the values in the gray scale range, i.e. between the highlight and the shadow points, of the picture is similar to those of other pictures, there is no problem. However, when it is not similar to the others, it is impossible to perform this method.

In the third method, the outline of an image in the original picture is drawn on a tracing paper, and the specific portions are marked therein. However, this method indicates a quite rough instruction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a setup condition recorder for a color scanner free from the aforementioned defects, which is reliable and stable, and is simple in construction.

According to the present invention there is provided a setup condition recorder for a color scanner, comprising (a) a picture mount means on which an original picture to be reproduced is secured, (b) a pickup head which is adapted to be moved over the original picture to and from, and picks up a picture signal by scanning the original picture, (c) an operational unit which determines setup conditions, from the picture signal, for a color scanner for reproducing a reproduction picture, and (d) a recording unit which records the setup conditions on a recording medium.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In order that the present invention may be better understood, a preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

The FIGURE is an elevational view of a machine according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown in the Figure a setup condition recorder for a color scanner according to the present invention.

In the left side of a base plate 1 is secured a pillar 2. A horizontal drive shaft 3 is rotatably mounted to the upper part of the pillar 2, and is driven by a drive motor 4 mounted to the left side end of the base plate 1 via an endless belt 5.

A picture cylinder 7 on which an original picture 6 to be reproduced is attached, is mounted to the right end portion of the drive shaft 3, and a pulse generator 8 such as a rotary encoder is fixed to the left end of the drive shaft 3. The pulse generator 8 outputs pulse signals, for instance, 4000 signals per one rotation of the shaft 3, corresponding to the rates of the rotation of the drive shaft.

An operational unit 9 having a pickup head 10, which picks up larger area such as a square having a side of 150-200 micron rather than that of the color scanner, in its upper part is moved in the direction of the axis of the picture cylinder 7 by a screw rod 11 and a drive motor 12 coupled thereto, which are mounted on the base plate 1, so that the pickup head 10 for scanning the original picture 6 may be moved over the original picture 6 mounted on the cylinder 7, The operational unit 9 operates the setup conditions for the color scanner (not shown) from a picture signal which is picked up by the pickup head 10 by scanning the original picture 6, as disclosed in the Japanese Patent application No. 53-155954 which taught a color control simulator for obtaining proper color control conditions for a picture reproducing machine, comprising a color separator which separates a color picture signal picked up at certain points of an original picture into color separation signals of primary colors such as red, green and blue; an operational processor which generally comprises a digital computer, and operates color control conditions for the picture reproducing machine according to the fundamental conditions of the original Picture; input means such as a keyboard, a tape reader, or the like, for a computer, which sends supplemental data to the operational processor; adjusting means such as digital switches, combinations of potentiometers and analog-digital converters, or the like, for adjusting the color control conditions, which correspond to those of the picture reproducing machine; a timing pulse generator which controls the timing of the system and sends timing pulses to the color separator and the operational processor; and output display means which is provided in case of need, such as a card printer, a tape printer, a character writer, cassette tape, or the like, and displays or records the color conditions set up.

In the color separator, the color separation signals R, G and B are converted into color separation density signals in a conventional manner, and then the color separation density signals are fed into the operational processor in synchronization with timing pulses generated by the timing pulse generator, wherein the operation is started in synchronization with a timing pulse as hereinafter described.

The operational processor includes the same operational functions such as density correction, color correction, gradation correction, and output intensity correction, not the same operational circuits or systems, as those of the picture reproducing machine used in connection with the color control simulator and operates consecutively such four correction steps. Hence, the adjusting means comprises four means for the four corrections.

Such four operational steps described hereinafter are programmed in the operational processor, and supplemental data is input to the operational processor from the input means. The color control conditions output from the processor are sent to the output display means, and are recorded there.

First, the density correction step is operated in order to control the density ranges of the color separation density signals, between the highlight and the shadow points in the original picture, to their reproducible density ranges, i.e. the input density ranges of the color correction step followed by linearly transforming the range according to an equation shown in FIG. 4 (of the prior application). This operation is repeated for each of the color separation density signals.

Second, the color correction step is operated so as to reproduce the faithful colors of the original picture or the desired colors. This step is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Publication No. 50-14854, and thus the detailed explanation may be omitted.

Third, the gradation correction step is operated in order to control the gradations of the color-corrected reproducing signals. This step will be described in connection with one of the color-corrected reproducing signals. The same operation is repeated for each of the color-corrected reproducing signals.

In a conventional apparatus, the gradation correction is performed by an analog circuit which comprises three operational amplifiers, each having logarithmic, linear and exponential output characteristics corresponding to output characteristics lines of the gradation tables, and a potentiometer connected thereto. This analog circuit outputs a signal generally having a characteristic composed of two of the three output characteristics lines.

Finally, the output intensity correction step is operated. In the picture reproducing machine, when the voltage range of the gradation corrected reproducing signals is 0-5, and the output voltage range of the output intensity correction is 0-2, the input voltage range 0-5 must be transformed linearly to the output voltage range 0-2 in the output intensity correction circuit. Furthermore, the output voltage range of the output intensity correction circuit is often shifted by the change of the light intensity, and so forth. This shift of the output voltage range must be corrected. These corrections are carried out in the same manner as the color density correction described above.

The output intensity correction, i.e. the linear transformation of the gradation corrected reproducing signals is performed in the same manner as that of the density correction step described above, thereby obtaining color controlled reproducing signals C, M, Y and BK of cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink colors. In this case, however, the setting operation of factors is carried out manually by the adjusting means such as digital switches or combinations of potentiometers and analog-digital converters, for four colors such as cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

As apparent from the above description, the color control conditions are set up by the adjusting means.

In case of need, the setup positions of the adjusting means may be recorded in a card, a tape, or the like, as numerical values in the output display means. The picture reproducing machine may be controlled directly by such a card or a tape in which the color control conditions are recorded.

Further, the coordinates of the pickup positions on the original picture may be written in the output display means together with the color control conditions, and when the picture reproducing machine is operated, these coordinates may be used as standard position in order to obtain more correct setup points

A pulse generator 13 such as a rotary encoder is disposed to the right end of the screw rod 11 and outputs pulse signals corresponding to the rates of the rotation of the screw rod 11.

The pickup head 10 is moved over the original picture 6 to and fro by the two motors 4 and 12, and its position is detected according to the pulse numbers generated by the two pulse generators 8 and 13.

A recording unit 14 is also mounted to the base plate 1 and records the setup conditions for the color scanner, which are operated in the operational unit 9, on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape, a punch tape, a magnetic card, a punch card, a cassette tape, a disk plate, or the like.

In the machine described above, the original picture 6 on the cylinder 7 is scanned by the pickup head 10 by driving the motors 4 and 12, and the setup conditions for the color scanner at the specific portions such as a highlight point, a shadow point, a point whose color is to be corrected, of the original picture together with the positions of the pickup head 10 at the specific portions are recorded on the recording medium. The information recorded in the recording medium is applied into the color scanner by a proper input means in order to produce color separation printing films or plates automatically. Thus, there is no need to set up the conditions of the color scanner in advance.

According to the present invention, since the pickup head 10 picks up the larger area of the specific portion in the original picture than the color scanner, the setup conditions may not be exerted by the unevenness influence of the original picture.

According to the present invention, the original picture may be secured to a flat plate and is moved in X and Y directions under the pickup head 10 fixed.

The present invention may be applied to other picture reproducing machines such as a color facsimile, and the like.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, however various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. The method of recording setup conditions for a color scanner, comprising the steps of:(a) securing to a picture mount means an original picture to be reproduced; (b) scanning the original picture by incremental areas that are substantially greater than the incremental areas scanned by the color scanner; (c) determining from the picture signal, setup conditions for a color scanner for reproducing a reproduction picture; and (d) recording the setup conditions on a recording medium.
 2. The method of recording setup conditions for a color scanner, comprising the steps of;(a) securing to a picture mount means an original picture to be reproduced; (b) scanning the original picture; (c) ddtermining from the picture signal, setup conditions for a color scanner for reproducing a reproduction picture; (d) recording the setup conditions on a recording medium; and (e) detecting and recording a position of the pickup head with respect to the original picture.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the detecting step includes the use of a rotary encoder to establish the position of the pickup head.
 4. The method of claim 2 or 3, further including the steps of rotating a cylindrical picture mount means around its axis, and linearly translating the pickup head in the direction of the cylinder's axis.
 5. The method of claim 4, a drive means comprising a screw rod and a motor which drives the screw rod translates the pickup head.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the recording step medium includes the selection of a magnetic tape, punch tape, magnetic card, punch card, cassette tape and magnetic disk for storage of setup information. 